it's all about the journey…not the destination!

Passion is Hit or Miss

I walked into the Children’s Choice Center on West Ferris Rd in East Brunswick to ry something new…….ZUMBA! I’ve been wanting to try it for a long time. It’s everywhere. ZUMBA, ZUMBA, ZUMBA. Everytime someone mentions ZUMBA, somebody else always shouts out, “oh, it’s so much fun! So, what’s not to like?? I like Fun. So, I walked through the door last night and surrendered myself to ZUMBA. Well…..ZUMBA kicked my @ss, and took no prisoners. There’s no question about it……ZUMBA won!

Athletically, I’m prepared for ZUMBA….but I now Know that Coordination is something I was NOT born with. The ZUMBA instructor is Patty, and she is amazing. This girl has rhythm, and joy. And these two things come together when the music is playing to lead a classroom full of people down the path to fun and enjoyment. They hoot, and howl, and clap and shake their money makers! Oh….I shook mine too. That part was ALOT of fun. But otherwise, I just felt like I was 5 moves behind. While they were salsa-ing and tango-ing across the floor, I was still trying to figure out if I double tap my right foot, or single tap my left. And don;t get me started about what the hell my arms were doing while my feet were fighting over whose turn it was. I came home with arms and legs twisted like a pretzel. As I untangled myself, I told Peter that he was off the hook for those Salsa dancing lessons I’ve been bugging him about. LMAO….he laughed and said “Ok. But, what happened?” I told him…Nothing. It WAS great fun. I loved the music, I loved the people, I also believed that I would get better if I kept up with it. But I also knew…..already….that it wasn’t for me It wasn’t going to be my Passion.

Not going to be your Passion? Those are some strong words, Diane. How do you know? And how can you decide so quickly, after only one session?

Believe me when I tell you that I’m not making a rash decision. For me, it’s a confluence of a couple of key things. It’s about Time and Emotional fulfillment. Yea. Like most of us….I only have so much time in my day, and I have to squeeze my exercise into critical, but sparse segments of time. If I was not working, and time were not limited, I think I would sign up for all sorts of classes…..ZUMBA, Yoga, Pilates, …… and I would dedicate myself to becoming good at all of them. Maybe I’d even blend them together. Kind of like doing a Salutation to the Sun while shaking my money-maker to the sounds of Pit Bull. Sounds…….Interesting! But alas, time is not unlimited, and somehow I think the people over in the Yoga class at the NYSC are breathing sighs of relief! LOL.

So, since time is precious…..I need to fill my time with the things that give me the best emotional payoff. Besides, isn’t that what Passion really means? Well, is it? Um….who knows? Let’s go check it out……Dictionary, Dictionary….where’d I put that old Dictionary.!

Passion: Strong and barely controllable emotion

Alright. Now we’re talkin’! B.I.N.G.O. There it Is. Yes. Yes. Now THAT sounds like Passion. You know, sometimes we’ve gone looking for meaning to things we’ve felt, and come up with less than what we went looking for. But not this time. Strong and barely controllable emotion sounds just like what Passion MUST be. And since running my Half Marathon….I believe I have “LIVED” it when it comes to having PASSION for something.

I have a Passion for Running. This is clear to me now. But I also have a Passion for Cycling. I love love loved it last summer, and all those rides Peter and I took together each night — they were some of my favorite memories from last summer. I also have a Passion for Feeling Strong. When I do the Jillian Michaels 30 day Shred DVD, I Feel that FEELING. Like I am getting stronger. I LOVE that. So these are the things that give me the greatest sense of emotional fulfilment — so I’m going to dedicate my time to them.

This doesn’t mean that over time my Passions wont change. Change comes (and should come) at all stages of life. The thing about finding your passions is this……you have to get out there and explore things. Passion doesn’t come find you on the Couch. Passion is out there in the Big World, hidden behind bicycles, hidden inside running shoes….apparently for Patty and her Zumba crew…hidden inside Pitbull latin groove dance routines. Finding your Passion takes time, and willingness, and exploration, and courage. It’s a Hit or Miss proposition. To find Passion, you might have to try many many new things and rule out a number of Passion-look-alikes. But even in those Misses…..you learn something. You learn not to be afraid to seek out your likes, and to adjust your likes. You meet wonderful people, and you broaden your horizons, and you have Fun. ZUMBA was fun. And I’m so glad I tried it. I might not become a ZUMBA fanatic, but I’m so glad that I’m no longer sitting and wondering WHAT IT IS. I’ve moved from Doubting to Wondering to Trying to Exploring to Passion. Now THAT’s a long way to have come in 13.1 miles.

About Diane

Ciao! My name is Diane. I'm a wife, a mom, a working professional, and a Weight Watcher from New Jersey. I started blogging in 2011, at 45 years old, when I was training for my first Half Marathon at Rutgers on April 22, 2012. Since then, I've lost 80 pounds, completed my Half Marathon goal and gone on to train for and run my very first Full Marathon. On Jan 13, 2013, I ran the Disney Marathon in Orlando, Fl! What an incredible day. As the saying goes -- "The person who starts the race is not the same person who finishes the race." I am forever changed! So now we move on to the next phase of this journey! Come along. We're in this together!! Ciao for now!